Lauren is a dance artist and digital thinker, dance influencer, experience curator and seeker, cultural activist and adrenaline junkie. Her portfolio career enables Lauren to carry out a variety of roles, whilst on a personal quest to empower people to live a creative life.
Teachers, Youth Workers and Artists have played significant roles in Lauren’s creative path and from an early age Lauren knew that she wanted to work with young people and creative practice. She is passionate about the development of dance in the Northwest and will continue to learn and to contribute to a Northwest Dance ecology with an ambitious shared vision for an exciting future, that I want to be a part of.
This year Lauren will be co- creating ‘Neverland: Our Story in Pixels’ with young people, funded through Arts Council England. This is an ongoing piece of work exploring digital identity, digital rights and making sense of the digital world with, by and for young people.
Recently, Lauren received Developing Your Creative Practice funding to explore the Notion of Freedom and what it means to young people. This project will take place in 2021-22. Lauren has been part of various artist development schemes including; the mentoring programme for Dance Consortia Northwest, the Talent Hub programme with MDI, and as a Class of 2020 artist with the Lowry. In 2020, Lauren joined the Open Online Theatre Cohort with IJAD Dance Company in September 2020 and co- created a piece of work ‘Alexa, Take Me Back To Reality.’ Lauren recently won a prize in Warrington Contemporary Arts Festival, a residency with Pyramid and Parr Hall for 2021 and a public art commission for Warrington Town Centre. Recently, Lauren has completed her Level 3 youth work qualification with Your Edge and has successfully gained a place on Curious Minds ‘Global Curiosities Programme’ for 2021 and 2022. Global Curiosity is a practice sharing programme, with international visits to Greece, Poland and the UK to explore Global Youth Work. In 2021, Lauren worked with Fallen Angels Dance Theatre as an Outreach Development Consultant and in marketing and communications for Wonder Adventures. In 2021, Lauren completed a 200 hr Yoga Qualification and Level 3 Youth Work Qualification.
Lauren is performing with Wired Aerial Theatre as a Stunt Performer in Rigoletto at Bregenz Festerpiele this summer. With a passion for dance, fitness and flying, Lauren took part in an artist development project with Leftcoast and Wired Aerial Theatre in 2014. Lauren has continued training in Bungee Assisted Dance, and Vertical Wall. In 2019, Lauren worked with Wired Aerial Theatre to film a VICE documentary and became a Bungee Workout Instructor.
As a performer Lauren has been fortunate to perform in her own work and in works by James Wilton, Alesandra Seutin, Antonia Grove, Gary Clarke (solo with Ludus Dance for Light Up Lancaster, Senses at Dance Base, and Take It To The Hub, MDI) Balbir Singh (RandD), Company Carpi, Heartstone Dance, Lisi Perry (Moving Dance Forward, and Equilibrium), Le Petit Mort, Hannah Ballard- Sole Rebel, Charlene Kaliyate, Movema, Ithalia Forel (Afroplay), Joseph Raey Reid, Helen McArron, dt.Ellipsis, taciturn dance Company, in collaboration with Sam Wiehl, Angie Walton, Bernard Pierre Louis, Tilt Dance and Louise Gibbons. Lauren has performed with Corjua Jones, and Stealing Sheep at Manchester International Festival.
Lauren has always enjoyed making her own work and working collaboratively. As a maker Lauren is interested in multi-disciplinary practice, installation art, and work for unconventional spaces and theatre settings. Most recently Lauren made her first Arts Council England supported work ‘Neverland’ which toured to 5 youth friendly venues. Lauren was commissioned by Cheshire Dance, Hamilton Projects and Chester Zoo for Wild Worlds Festival in 2019. As a post graduate, Lauren made work with Lizzy Ryder as a residence artist through MDI. Her solo work ‘Someone Worth Imitating’ mentored by Gary Clarke, was selected by MDI Northern Dancers programme. It was performed at Dance City, Yorkshire Dance, Kazimier Liverpool, Turn at Contact Theatre, UCLAN Dance, and Now Dance Platform, Cheshire Dance)
In 2015-2019 Lauren worked as Dance Development Artist for Cheshire West and Chester at Cheshire Dance gaining a broad range of experience in dance development, project development, management, producing and creative delivery.
As a facilitator, Lauren has worked with a wide range of groups of people with different motivations to dance including Fallen Angels Dance Theatre, Cheshire Dance, Action Transport Theatre, Community Dance Groups that engage with MDI, Cheshire Dance and Movema and Collisions Dance (mass participation project- The Very Big Catwalk World Record) and a range of private dance schools including Centre Point, Hoylake School of Dance, Danza and Velocity.
Lauren has a wide range of experience working with young people, in the UK and internationally. Most recently Tuckshop Dance Theatre worked with Action Transport Theatre to develop digital engagement, and family dance provision at their home, Whitby Park. Lauren has delivered dance and creative arts experiences at Camp Wing in Boston (2008-2009) and Open Windows Foundation, Guatemala (2015) and is always seeking international opportunities. In the Northwest Lauren has worked for The Lowry as a Dance Artist for CAT and outreach projects. She has choreographed pieces of work with Homegrown Youth Dance Company, Centre Pointe- The Pointe Youth Dance Company and Dope Male Performance Company. Lauren worked in FE as a part time lecturer from 2011-2015 and made several pieces of work with young people. Lauren has a wealth of experience working in primary, secondary, further and higher education and alternative education settings.
Lauren was a CASE fellow with Curious Minds and fully supports the Cultural education Challenge. Lauren is a member of the Cheshire West and Chester LCEP, Wirral LCEP and engages with LCEPs in the Northwest regularly through her work.
In education and training, Lauren attended Hilbre High School, Liverpool Community College and Liverpool John Moores University. She continued her training through both cohorts of 12 Degrees North Dance Company (funded by Arts Council England), and completed a Diploma To Teach In The Lifelong Learning Sector at Liverpool Hope University.
Cheshire Dance has an established and growing specialism in developing dance opportunities with and for people with learning disabilities and people with Profound Intellectual and Multiple Disabilities (PIMD).
Cheshire Dance works with educational settings to deliver school improvement plans and to enrich the current curriculum framework through quality dance practises that add real value.
Cheshire Dance works within the community and in education settings to enrich young lives through dance. Dance & Young People forms an integral part of the principle Cheshire Dance Programme.
Cheshire Dance works with schools and educational facilities to integrate the art form into learning. Dance in Education forms an integral part of the Cheshire Dance annual programme.
Now Northwich is an annual flagship outdoor international dance and street arts festival from Producers Cheshire Dance and Partners
A Celebration of Dance in Cheshire and the Creative Case for Diversity, which brings together dancers of all ages, abilities and backgrounds to perform and share their passion for the art form.
Arts Council England is the national development agency for creativity and culture. Cheshire Dance is a National Portfolio Organisation of Arts Council England.
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Cheshire West and Chester Council is committed to celebrating diversity and promoting equality in everything it does, to improve the quality of life for everyone living, working and visiting Cheshire West and Chester.
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